Elite opinion and foreign policy in post-communist Russia

Russian elite opinion on matters of foreign policy may be classified as ‘Liberal Westerniser’, ‘Pragmatic Nationalist’ and ‘Fundamentalist Nationalist’, terms that reflect longstanding debates about the country’s relationship with the outside world. An analysis of press statements and election manifestoes together with a programme of elite interviews between 2004 and 2006 suggests a clustering of opinion on a series of strategic issues. Liberal Westernisers seek the closest possible relationship with Europe, and favour eventual membership of the EU and NATO. Pragmatic Nationalists are more inclined to favour practical co-operation, and do not assume an identity of values or interests with the Western countries. Fundamentalist Nationalists place more emphasis on the other former Soviet republics, and on Asia as much as Europe, and see the West as a threat to Russian values as well as to its state interests. Each of these positions, in turn, draws on an identifiable set of domestic constituencies: Liberal Westernisers on the promarket political parties, Pragmatic Nationalists on the presidential administration and defence and security ministries, and Fundamentalist Nationalists on the Orthodox Church and Communists

Small ball probability, Inverse theorems, and applications

Let $\xi$ be a real random variable with mean zero and variance one and $A={a_1,...,a_n}$ be a multi-set in $\R^d$. The random sum $$S_A := a_1 \xi_1 + ... + a_n \xi_n$$ where $\xi_i$ are iid copies of $\xi$ is of fundamental importance in probability and its applications. We discuss the small ball problem, the aim of which is to estimate the maximum probability that $S_A$ belongs to a ball with given small radius, following the discovery made by Littlewood-Offord and Erdos almost 70 years ago. We will mainly focus on recent developments that characterize the structure of those sets $A$ where the small ball probability is relatively large. Applications of these results include full solutions or significant progresses of many open problems in different areas.Comment: 47 page

Psychopatological symptomatics in patients with alcoholic psychosis at the stationary treatment stage in the emergency department of narcological care

The paper presents the results of a psychopathological study of alcoholic patients undergoing treatment in the emergency department of narcology for alcoholic psychosis. The analysis of the socio-demographic characteristics of patients, their narcological profile was carried out. Revealed the clinical and dynamic characteristics of the staging of the psychotic process.В работе представлены результаты психопатологического исследования больных алкоголизмом, проходящих лечение в отделении неотложной наркологии по поводу алкогольного психоза. Проведен анализ социально-демографических характеристик пациентов, их наркологический профиль. Выявлены клинико-динамические характеристики стадийности психотического процесс

Impact of liquid metal surface on plasma-surface interaction in experiments with lithium and tin capillary porous systems

The lithium and tin capillary-porous systems (CPSs) were tested with steady-state plasma in the PLM plasma device which is the divertor simulator with plasma parameters relevant to divertor and SOL plasma of tokamaks. The CPS consists of tin/lithium tile fixed between two molybdenum meshs constructed in the module faced to plasma. Steady-state plasma load of 0.1 - 1 MW/m(2) on the CPS during more than 200 min was achieved in experiments on PLM which is a modeling far scrapeoff- layer and far zone of divertor plasma of a large tokamak. The heating of the CPS was controlled remotely including biasing technique which allows to regulate evaporated metal influx to plasma. After exposure, the materials of the tin and lithium CPSs were inspected and analyzed with optic and scanning electron micriscopy. Experiments have demonstrated sustainability of the tin and lithium CPSs to the high heat steady state plasma load expected in a large scale tokamak. The effect of evaporated lithium and tin on the plasma transport/radiation was studied with spectroscopy to evaluate changes of plasma properties and plasma-surface interaction

Viral discovery and diversity in trypanosomatid protozoa with a focus on relatives of the human parasite <i>Leishmania</i>.

Knowledge of viral diversity is expanding greatly, but many lineages remain underexplored. We surveyed RNA viruses in 52 cultured monoxenous relatives of the human parasite &lt;i&gt;Leishmania&lt;/i&gt; ( &lt;i&gt;Crithidia&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Leptomonas&lt;/i&gt; ), as well as plant-infecting &lt;i&gt;Phytomonas&lt;/i&gt; &lt;i&gt;Leptomonas pyrrhocoris&lt;/i&gt; was a hotbed for viral discovery, carrying a virus (Leptomonas pyrrhocoris ostravirus 1) with a highly divergent RNA-dependent RNA polymerase missed by conventional BLAST searches, an emergent clade of tombus-like viruses, and an example of viral endogenization. A deep-branching clade of trypanosomatid narnaviruses was found, notable as &lt;i&gt;Leptomonas seymouri&lt;/i&gt; bearing Narna-like virus 1 (LepseyNLV1) have been reported in cultures recovered from patients with visceral leishmaniasis. A deep-branching trypanosomatid viral lineage showing strong affinities to bunyaviruses was termed " &lt;i&gt;Leishbunyavirus&lt;/i&gt; " (LBV) and judged sufficiently distinct to warrant assignment within a proposed family termed " &lt;i&gt;Leishbunyaviridae&lt;/i&gt; " Numerous relatives of trypanosomatid viruses were found in insect metatranscriptomic surveys, which likely arise from trypanosomatid microbiota. Despite extensive sampling we found no relatives of the totivirus &lt;i&gt;Leishmaniavirus&lt;/i&gt; (LRV1/2), implying that it was acquired at about the same time the &lt;i&gt;Leishmania&lt;/i&gt; became able to parasitize vertebrates. As viruses were found in over a quarter of isolates tested, many more are likely to be found in the &gt;600 unsurveyed trypanosomatid species. Viral loss was occasionally observed in culture, providing potentially isogenic virus-free lines enabling studies probing the biological role of trypanosomatid viruses. These data shed important insights on the emergence of viruses within an important trypanosomatid clade relevant to human disease

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae Transcription Unit Organization: Genome Survey and Prediction

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is associated with swine respiratory diseases. Although gene organization and regulation are well known in many prokaryotic organisms, knowledge on mycoplasma is limited. This study performed a comparative analysis of three strains of M. hyopneumoniae (7448, J and 232), with a focus on genome organization and gene comparison for open read frame (ORF) cluster (OC) identification. An in silico analysis of gene organization demonstrated 117 OCs and 34 single ORFs in M. hyopneumoniae 7448 and J, while 116 OCs and 36 single ORFs were identified in M. hyopneumoniae 232. Genomic comparison revealed high synteny and conservation of gene order between the OCs defined for 7448 and J strains as well as for 7448 and 232 strains. Twenty-one OCs were chosen and experimentally confirmed by reverse transcription–PCR from M. hyopneumoniae 7448 genome, validating our prediction. A subset of the ORFs within an OC could be independently transcribed due to the presence of internal promoters. Our results suggest that transcription occurs in ‘run-on’ from an upstream promoter in M. hyopneumoniae, thus forming large ORF clusters (from 2 to 29 ORFs in the same orientation) and indicating a complex transcriptional organization

Использование сравнительного анализа распространения и происхождения кальдер с базальт-андезитовым составом магм для изучения генезиса миоценовых игнимбритов Восточного вулканического пояса Камчатки

Based on the statistical data of the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution and published materials, we present a comparative analysis of caldera-forming eruptions on global scale. The geodynamic settings and genesis of the caldera-forming eruptions with basaltic-andesitic magma compositions are described. The origin of the majority of mafic ignimbrites was related with external water. Such ignimbrites were generated in a submarine environment or with a contact with water. The newly obtained data, paleogeodynamic reconstruction and geological mapping of Miocene mafic ignimbrites of the Eastern volcanic belt (EVB) of Kamchatka confirm their genesis in costal-marine environment. These new data show significance of paleoreconstructions in studies of paleo-volcanoes and relief-forming pyroclastic rocks.На основе статистической обработки базы данных Глобальной программы вулканизма (ГПВ) Смитсоновского института и опубликованных материалов представлен сравнительный анализ кальдерообразующих извержений вулканов Земли. Показаны геодинамические позиции и условия формирования кальдер с базальт-андезитовым составом магм. В основном искомые кальдеры – это щитовые вулканы. Большинство из них имеют массивные лавовые потоки, только в нескольких случаях были описаны игнимбриты с базальт-андезитовым составом магм. Объединяющими признаками происхождения базальт-андезитовых игнимбритов являются контакты горячего пирокластического потока с «внешней» водой. Палеогеодинамические реконструкции Камчатки миоценового времени и анализ материалов геологического картирования базальт-андезитовых игнимбритов Восточного вулканического пояса Камчатки подтверждают их образование в прибрежно-морской обстановке, что согласуется с приведенными результатами изучения происхождения базальт-андезитовых игнимбритов вулканов в других регионах Земли. Полученные данные показывают значимость реконструкций палеогеодинамических обстановок в изучении типов палеовулканов и рельефообразующих пирокластических пород